2018 CINEMALAYA MAIN COMPETITION FULL … 2018...^Ang mga Bisita ni Mamang _ delves into the story of Mamang, an old woman who is hanging onto her memory so she could be with her son

2018 CINEMALAYA MAIN COMPETITION FULL-LENGTH

MAMANG

by DENISE O’HARA

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Rating: PG

Total Running Time: 90 minutes

Ang mga Bisita ni Mamang delves into the story of

Mamang, an old woman who is hanging onto her

memory so she could be with her son Ferdie, an

unmarried middle-aged man. Both alone, mother and

son have no one but each other.

Synopsis:

Already at the twilight of her life, Mamang struggles

against the senility and dementia of old age, so she can

be with her only living son, Ferdie, who she suspects will

be accepting a teaching job in another province.

However, the more she struggles, the more her condition

worsens until she is literally haunted by the ghosts of her

past – and what started as visions slowly becomes her

reality until she is literally living with these ghosts

inside her house. As she battles to drive them away from

her house, and her mind, she starts re-living her past –

her marriage, her childhood, and everything else in between. In the end, though, she is forced to make a

decision between staying sane, or letting her mind go, in what has now become a labyrinth of

memories.

KUNG PAANO HINIHINTAY ANG DAPITHAPON

(Waiting for Sunset)

by CARLO ENCISO CATU

Genre: Drama

Rating: GP

Total Running Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

An old unmarried couple broke the monotony of their

daily lives when the woman s estranged husband

reached out to them, seeking reconciliation and

forgiveness.

Synopsis:

Teresa and Celso are an unmarried couple trying to

survive their mundane elderly life. They try to keep

themselves busy. Gardening. Cooking new recipes.

Making up petty quarrels. Throwing dinner parties. On

the night of their anniversary, they will receive a phone

call: Teresa s estranged husband Benedicto is ill and

needs someone to look after him.

Teresa and Celso will go out of their way to take care

of Benedicto. They will encourage him to seek

treatment and to live the remaining days of his life.

They will try their best to give whatever he needs.

However, not all of them are easy to get, especially the

forgiveness of his son Chito. This film is about love, companionship, and forgiveness. It is about moving

forward by revisiting the past. On the twilight of our days, how do we really wait for the sun to set?

KUYA WES

by JAMES ROBIN MAYO

Genre: Comedy

Rating:G


A man called Kuya Wes working in a money transfer company

finds himself in a relationship with a regular client, a married

woman who suffers from marital woes.

Synopsis:

Kinilala siya bilang Kuya Wes, short for kuya Western Union.

Simple lang at very routine ang buhay. Nakikitira lang siya sa

kapatid na may sariling pamliya na. Tahimik lang siya sa bahay

na ito, pag-uwi niya, ni hindi niya mahawakan ang remote

control ng TV at nauubusan siya ng ulam. Minsan, magluluto

ang kuya niya ng pagkain na allergic siya nang hindi man lang

napapansin. Hindi siya makareklamo, wala siyang magawa. Kasi

he never had the balls to say anything to his kuya.

Pero sa loob ng isang maliit na Western Union sa Kamias, siya ang inaasahan ng lahat. He holds the

money. Here he is needed. He is important. Kaya naman mahal na mahal niya ang trabaho niya.

Highlight lagi sa buwan ni Kuya Wes ang ika-16th dahil sa araw na ito kumukuha ng padala si Erika,

asawa ng isang OFW, kasama ang dalawa niyang anak. Patay na patay sa kanya si Wes na halos hindi

makapagsalita tuwing magtatransact siya.

Hanggang isang araw na maputol ang pagpapadala ng asawa ni Erika dahil hiniwalayan na siya nito.

Naawa si Wes at nagdesisyon siyang tulungan si Erika at abutan ito ng pera galling sa sarili niyang bulsa.

Suddenly, Wes finds himself in a relationship na parang surrogate husband. Unti-unti siya ng nagbago.

Nagkaroon ito ng confidence sapakikisalamuhasamgatao. Sa kanyang tingin sa sarili – isa na siyang

asawa, tatay at provider ng isang pamilya and he has never felt more needed and more important than

before.

On the day na nagdesisyon si Wes to finally ask Erika namakipag-date, hindi na nagpunta si Erika sa

Western Union. Sa pag-alala ni Wes, maglalakas loob siyang lumabas at hanapin ang bahay ni Erika.

Nang matunton ang bahay ay malalaman ni Wes na nagbalik pala ang asawa ni Erika. Sa pangyayaring

ito, tila mawawalan ng puwesto muli sa buhay si Wes.

LIWAY

by KIP OEBANDA

Genre: Drama

Rating: PG


The true story of a young mother who uses story-telling to

protect her child from the reality of growing up in prison and

the difficult life she endured.

Synopsis:

Dakip is a happy four year living in old child who loves playing

hide & seek with friends. He is jolly, witty and is well-loved by

everyone. He could be considered a normal child if he wasn t

living with his parents in Camp Delgado, a prison for both

criminals and rebels during the 80 s. He lives there with his

mother,Day and father, Ric.

In prison, he always hears of the name Liway. Allegedly, she is a

diwata living in the forests of Mt. Kanlaon. His mom tells him the story of this diwata through shadow

puppets. But Liway was an ordinary woman, forced by circumstances to flee the mountains where she

became the leader of the forest creatures and became a diwata. Her first son had to be given away

because life in the mountains is tough for a mortal.

Their story is interrupted when a soldier comes looking for Liway and it is revealed that Day and Liway

are one person. Liway was the nickname the media and the masses gave her when she became a

commander of the rebel forces in the mountains, a life she has long turned away from. She was

legendary for her beauty and tactics, but she never truly believed in the politics of the movement. She

was a catechist in a religious school, preaching liberation theology to farmers in the Sakada when her

house was ransacked by the military. She was forced to flee to the mountains. She didn t really believe

in the communist ideology and remained steadfast to her faith. When her mother died, Day agreed with

Ric to give away their first-born child so that he will not grow up in the mountains.

ML

by BENEDICTO MIQUE, JR.

Genre: Suspense, Thriller

Rating: R-16


A college student, his girlfriend and best friend get more than what they

bargained for when they decide to learn about the dark days of Martial

Law straight from an old retired soldier who may be one of its worst

abusers.

Synopsis:

To truly learn about the horrors of Martial Law, do teenagers today have

to pay the ultimate price? Carlo, an unapologetically millennial college

jock, thinks that Martial Law wasn t all that bad. No one in his family had anything bad to say about it, all

he s ever read are Facebook posts that say human rights violations were exaggerated, and really, it s all

so long ago that he thinks people should just move on. Confronted by a frustrated History professor,

Carlo sets out to prove he is right and looks for someone who lived through that period to tell the tale.

This leads him to the Colonel, an old recluse living alone in a ramshackle house in Carlo s neighborhood.

The Colonel rarely gets out of the house, keeps to himself and is somewhat ignored by his neighbors.

Carlo pays the old man a visit to interview him about what truly happened during the Marcos regime.

What he doesn t know is that the Colonel, is a high-ranking official during Martial Law and one of its

dreaded executioners. He raped, tortured and killed student activists during the First Quarter Storm and

all throughout Martial Law, and has never been held accountable for his actions. Now the Colonel

spends the twilight of his years haunted by ghosts from his past, both real and imagined, waiting for

some sort of reckoning.

That reckoning comes when Carlo confronts him about his Martial Law days, awakening the evil that

lurks within the old soldier; a reckoning that puts Carlo, his best friend and girlfriend, Jaze and Pats lives

in danger.

Shrouded in a haze of dementia, The Colonel sees Carlo and his friends as the activist youths of the 70 s

and sets out to methodically torture, rape, and murder them. What started as a simple school

assignment turns into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, and Carlo and Pat will have to endure every bit

of brutality and abuse Marco that happened in the days of Martial Law. They soon realize that

malevolence transcends time, and past horrors can just as easily put our present in danger.

An intense, claustrophobic and provocative thriller, ML confronts the apathy of this generation towards

the abuses and corruption that characterized late President Ferdinand Marcos Martial Law regime.

Historical revisionism has distorted our views of the past and has altered our view of ourselves as

Filipinos; ML warns us against the dangers of this collective amnesia and reminds us that getting to

where we want to be doesn t necessitate forgetting where we were.

Timely, controversial, and daring, ML will surely be one of the standouts of the 2018 Cinemalaya Film

Festival.

PAN DE SALAWAL

(The Sweet Taste of Salted Bread and Undies)

By ANNA FRANCESCA ESPIRITU

Genre: Drama

Rating: G


An ill-stricken neighborhood living beside the Manila

Railroad gets their dose of miracles from a wandering girl

from the South, who violently hurts the sick as her magical

way of healing them.

Synopsis:

As old and rusty as the Manila railroad, Sal, a lonely

panaderosuffering from chronic kidney stones, wants

nothing but to die. As every woman he loved left him via the

Manila train, he too wishes for it to take his life. Sharing his

sick, grey life along the riles are his neighbors – a barber with

severe pasma, a Carinosa folk-dancer paralyzed by stroke,

and a macho meat vendor with tumor in his breast. They all

battle for dear life, hoping a miracle comes along the riles.

The heavens answer their prayers with Aguy – a 10-year-old palaboy. Literally named Aguy (aray in

Bisaya) after her mother s distressed childbirth, she s left an orphan and is off to live on her own. She

wanders from South to North, in search of a home. Aguy possesses an extraordinary gift – the ability to

heal. When she sees someone in pain, she hurts them – by slapping their faces or punching their chests

or anything violent - and they get healed.

With a series of miracles, Sal and his barangay begin to experience life again. After inviting Aguy to stay

in his bakery and forming an endearing bond, Sal wishes not to die anymore,but to get healed so he can

take care of Aguy like his own daughter. But as Aguy is able to heal Sal s sick neighbors, for some

reason, she cannot heal her Tatay Sal.

While Sal is at the peak of his pain, urinating with blood, Aguy realizes the only way she can heal him.

With her heart breaking, she bids him farewell and rides off the Manila train. Through this sacrifice, this

ultimate pain, Sal finally gets healed. That night, the heavens cry with him, a minute-long rain of

crystalline salt pours all over Manila.

After experiencing one miracle after another, life along the riles is off to a new start. Sal re-opens his

bakery, the aroma of freshly baked pandesal spreading over saline Manila.

MUSMOS NA SUMIBOL SA GUBAT NG DIGMA

(Unless the Water is Safer than the Land)

by IAR LIONEL ARONDAING

Genre: Social Drama

Rating: G


Dalawang batang Muslim na naiipit sa gitna ng hidwaan

ng kanilang mga angkan ay pagtatagpuin sa gitna ng

kagubatan. Sa pitong araw na pagsasama sa gubat,

matatagpuan nila ang kaligayahan at pagmamahal sa

piling ng kalabang tinuring nang kaibigan.

Synopsis:

Sa gitna ng walang katapusang kaguluhan sa Mindanao ay

maiipit at mamumulat ang mga musmos sa kaharasang

dulot ng digma. Ngunit pumapaloob dito ang mas malalim

pang gusot na nakaugat at nakabaon na sa sistema at

kultura ng mga Muslim na tinatawag na Rido .

Ang Rido ay salitang Maranao na karaniwang ginagamit

sa Mindanao na tumutukoy sa matandang alitan ng mga

angkan. Ito ay nailalarawan sa pamamagitan ng isang

seryeng pagganti na gumagamit ng kaharasan upang maghiganti sa isang pagdusta o kawalang

katarungan–maging tunay man o pala-palagay lamang.

SCHOOL SERVICE

by LUISITO IGNACIO

Genre: Social Drama

Rating: R-13


In the Philippines, a photo of a young girl carrying a big

rock and threatening to smash a car s window amidst rush

hour traffic made round online. She was high on rugby

and was demanding for alms. The viral photo was even

picked up by broadcast media and reported in evening

news nationwide. This is her story.

Synopsis:

Maya, an 8-year-old student from a remote province, is

just walking home from school when school service stops

beside her to ask for directions. She kindly answers with

the intention to help. In return, the woman in the school

service offers to take her home, and she innocently agrees

so she can reach home faster. That is her one big mistake.

To Maya s horror, the service doesn t stop at her place.

And despite her pleas to be released, the driver would not

listen to her. She soon realizes she has been taken, along with the other kids who are already living

inside the crammed school service.

Maya finds herself hours and hours away from home, in a land foreign to her – the City of Manila. By

dusk, the children are dropped off along the national highway, so they can start working and begging for

alms. Someone watches them from afar to make sure they don t escape.

Through the eyes of Maya, we see the conditions of these kept children, along with the other children

living in the streets. All day long, they run after people, cars, buses, and jeeps, just to ask for money.

They do things not fit for their age in exchange for a few coins. They do all kinds of tactics just to survive

and just to have a better life. And every day, it s like chasing their dreams and freedom – it never

happens. It is never close enough.

DISTANCE

by PERCIVAL INTALAN

Genre: Drama

Rating: PG


Liza returns to the family that she abandoned 5 years ago

and suddenly everyone is struggling. Struggling to stay civil.

Struggling not to reopen old wounds. Struggling to stay

together even though a secret from the past will always keep

them apart.

Synopsis:

Liza is still drowning in grief from losing the love of her life

when she receives a visit from the most unlikely person—her

husband, who she left for another woman five years ago.

With no questions asked and no conditions, Anton invites her

back to his and their two children s lives.

Liza hesitantly returns to her family. She feels out of place in

what used to be her home. The guilt she carries around prevents her from making a real connection with

her children. Their refusal to talk about the real reason that she left does not help improve their

situation either.

The length of Liza s stay challenges the relationship of Anton with their children. Their eldest daughter,

Karla, obviously resents Liza – especially when Liza finds out that Karla, too, is in love with another girl

but can t seem to come to terms with it.

As the tension in the house rises, Liza contemplates leaving again and just let her family continue on

with their lives without her. But Anton does not let Liza go. He knows how deep her pain is from losing

Jen. He understands how much she needs to be surrounded by people who love her, whether she s

ready to be loved or not.

Liza chooses to stay. The gravity of this man s love for her is incomprehensible, but she is grateful. She

stays and hopes that one day she ll be able to offer him something more than just gratitude.

THE LOOKOUT

by AFI AFRICA

Genre: Psycho-Drama

Rating: PG


The Lookout is a story of love, betrayal, and revenge

through the eyes of Lester Quiambao, a gay hired killer who

has a score to settle from his past.

Synopsis:

The Lookout tells a story of Lester Quiambao, a gay hired

killer, whose abusive relationships in childhood propels him

into a life of crime and depravity and compels him to betray

Travis Concepcion, the man he loves, to exact his revenge.

2018 CINEMALAYA MAIN COMPETITION

SHORT FEATURE FILM CATEGORY

BABYLON

ByKEITH DELIGERO

Genre: Dark Comedy, Satire

Rating: R-13


Synopsis:

Two young girls travel through time to assassinate a small-town

dictator to revise history along with local members of the resistance.

Jay, who aspires to become a Jai alai player, and Irma, who just

became a pilot. All the while a widower is plotting her own revenge

against the same man. They all get into a weird mix-up adventure

with a talking chicken, a videoke machine from the future, a set of

violent triplets and prank calls from the 90s. Welcome to Barangay

Babylonia!

JODILERKS DELA CRUZ, EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

By CARLO FRANCISCO MANATAD

Genre:Dark Comedy

Rating: R-13

Total Running Time: 13:00 minutes

Synopsis:

Jodilerks, has been quietly and diligently working as a gas station

attendant for a very long time. Tonight, is her final shift and she

has decided to sign off in, quite frankly, outrageous fashion.

KIKO

By JOJO DRIZ

Genre:Drama

Rating:R 16


Synopsis:

Kiko is a narrative drama about finding what matters the most in

one's life on a roller coaster journey. It is a story of moving

forward, one step at a time, in the face of the harsh realities of life.

The story revolves around Kiko, a blind gay man in his sixties who

makes a living as a laundress in a poor coastal community in

Batangas City. He raises his eight-year-old adopted son, Ton-Ton,

and supports his lover, Rex by doing his neighbors laundry.

Despite being visually impaired, his hands and senses do wonders

in delivering fresh clean clothes to his neighbors. Kiko's whole life

revolves around Ton-ton and Rex, and that of the drying well which

has been vital to his livelihood. He knows his circumstances and had long adapted to them, taking the

most of what he can. It's the same when it comes to Rex, who never stopped philandering and engaging

in dubious activities despite Kiko's unwavering support. As long as he can take care of both of Ton-ton

and Rex, Kiko is happy. Things go awry when Rex figures in a drug mess, is hunted by a local syndicate

and runs away with all the money Kiko had - leaving Kiko with nary a dime, and void of dignity and pride.

In the end, Kiko is left with nothing and no one else but Ton-ton. Despite the ruckus, Kiko starts the day

normally - washing clothes by the drying well. Realizing that there is more than just water in the well, a

quick pause is all that Kiko needs to muster enough strength and face a new chapter in his life.

LOGRO

By KANI VILLAFLOR

Genre:Drama

Rating:PG


Synopsis:

Bruno, a little person, earns a living by working in a dingy

restaurant. Unsatisfied with his work, salary and treatment, he

joins an underground fight club to earn his way to the prize money

and in the hopes of reaching his aspirations.

NANGUNGUPAHAN

(Who Rents There Now?)

By GLENN BARIT

Genre: Drama, Family, Experimental

Rating: GP


Synopsis:

Nangungupahan follows the different lives of people who occupy a

room of an apartment through different points in time. The room

may mean differently to each occupant; and by overlapping these

timelines, we gain insight about our shared space and history, as

well as the bigger structures outside that affect us.

SA SAÍYANG ISLÁ

(IN HIS ISLAND)

by CHRISTIAN CANDELARIA

Genre: Drama

Rating:GP


Synopsis:

A small fishing community struggles amidst an oil spill. Meanwhile,

part of that community is a prepubescent and cheerful young boy

struggling with his identity who finds comfort in his dreams of

becoming a mermaid.

SI ASTRI MAKA SI TAMBULAH

(Astri and Tambulah)

By XEPH SUAREZ

Genre: Fiction, Drama

Rating: PG


Logline:

A Badjao transwoman is forced to abandon her lover to marry a

woman betrothed to her from birth.

Synopsis:

Si Astri maka si Tambulah is primarily about love manifested in a

transwoman and a cisgender man in the context of Badjao

traditions. But more than a story about love

andtraditions,thefilmwishestoprovideanewperspectiveonthestrugglesofthe LGBT community.

SIYUDAD SA BULAWAN

(City of Gold)

By JARELL SERENCIO

Genre: Drama

Rating: G


Synopsis:

Yoyong (10), together with his siblings Darwin (14) and Abet (12)

work as child miners in Mt. Diwalwal Compostela Valley. They live

with their ailing grandmother after they lost their father in a tunnel

riot. Amidst the threat of another riot, the three brothers bravely

decide to continue working in the mines for them to go to school

and save enough money for the government housing project. They

look forward to moving out from the mining settlement and start a

new life. But an unfortunate event stands between them and their

dreams. Will they be able to leave Diwalwal or will their dreams

crumble down like giant boulders their small hands chip every day?

YAKAP

(Embrace)

by MIKA FABELLA

Genre: Drama, Experimental

Rating: GP


Logline:

A woman s last few moments of life before crossing over to the

afterlife are told through dance.

Synopsis:

A woman lays on a bed, barely breathing. In between life and

death, her soul is surrounded by settings from her past. A familiar

face comes to escort her to the afterlife.

YOU, ME AND MR. WIGGLES

by JAV VELASCO

Genre: Drama, Comedy, Experimental

Rating: R-18


Synopsis:

"You, Me and Mr. Wiggles" is the story of Carlo and Anj, a couple

who seem to have it all, except for one thing - Carlo's erection.

Which apparently is no small thing as it turns one ordinary night

into a night filled with emotional landmines that threatens to blow

their relationship apart and force themselves to ask the question -

can love really conquer erectile dysfunction?

Documents

2018 CINEMALAYA MAIN COMPETITION FULL … 2018...^Ang mga Bisita ni Mamang _ delves into the story of Mamang, an old woman who is hanging onto her memory so she could be with her son